Elyette had thought that the woman he spent that night with was Averie!
He would never have touched Zoe if he had known it was her
On the other side of the city, Averie was having dinner with a few good friends at Golden Beach Street.
If it were not for the care and support of her friends, she would not have been able to get back on her feet so quickly after her mother’s death.
Although the thought of her mother’s passing continued to pain her, Averie was not so impulsive as to go down with Wanda.
Mike poured Wesley a glass of wine, but Wesley declined, saying, “I drove here.”
Averie then poured Wesley a glass of juice and said, “Wesley isn’t a good drinker. I’ll drink with you tonight, Mike!”
“Are you underestimating me, Averie? My tolerance is pretty good!” said Tammy.
“I know it is, but Jun already told me to keep an eye on you and make sure you don’t get too drunk.”
Tammy grunted nonchalantly, then began to drink with Mike.
“Pace yourselves, you two. I called you out tonight for some good seafood, not for you to get drunk…” Averie cautioned.
“What’s so great about seafood? What’s a party without booze?” Mike said.
Tammy chimed in, “Exactly! If we’re going to have a party without booze, then we might as well just sit at home and munch on some peanuts!”
Averie decided to ignore them.
After a few drinks, the two began to drunkenly banter. Once Averie was done peeling shrimps and crabs for her children, she began to eat.
Noticing that Mike and Tammy were immersed in their drunkenness, Wesley turned to Averie and said, “Eric really wants to thank you personally, Averie.”
“He should focus on rehab for now. We can meet once he’s able to stand on his own two feet.”
She lowered her gaze, pondering something, and then said, “I wouldn’t have to be so cautious if he was just an average person. But he’s still a popular celebrity. If anyone was to discover where he is, there’d be a real ruckus made; and, if that were to happen, not only would it get in the way of his rehabilitation, his personal life would be affected, too.”
Wesley nodded and said, “You’re right. He’s young, so he’s a bit more impulsive.”
He passed some crab meat to Averie.
“Eat it yourself!” Averie said, her cheeks turning pink.
“I don’t eat crab,” Wesley replied. “You were tending to the children this entire time and haven’t had a bite to eat. You should eat more. I’m worried you’ll get blown away by the wind one day.”
Layla lifted her head, then said seriously to Wesley, “Hayden and I will hold on to Mommy’s legs! We won’t let the wind blow her away!”
“No matter how strong the wind is, I won’t have to worry as long as I have the both of you around!” Wesley chuckled. He turned to Hayden and asked, “Are you getting used to things at your new school?”
Hayden nodded.
Hayden might not have been sociable, but he never bothered the other children, so his teachers favored him.
“Why did you bring your laptop with you?” Wesley asked as he noticed the laptop sticking out of Hayden’s unzipped bag.
Hayden quickly zipped his bag shut. Averie glanced at her son, alarm bells beginning to ring in her head.
She did not immediately interrogate Hayden.
Instead, she pulled out her phone to check if Elyette had contacted her.
It was a good thing he had not!
Averie was relieved.
“I heard Zoe’s planning on carrying out another surgery on Shea,” Wesley said, his expression conveying his mixed feelings. “I don’t know if Zoe is being too generous, or if Elyette’s being a fool. Zoe’s skills might not end up killing Shea, but I doubt the results would be ideal.”
Averie’s hand clenched tightly around her fork.
“Are you sure you don’t want to tell Elyette that you were the one who operated on Shea the first time?” Wesley asked softly.
Wesley’s question left Averie silent for a moment.
“Have you ever loved somebody, Wesley?” Averie asked quietly. “If you have, then you probably won’t have such a tough time understanding how I’m feeling.”
Wesley shook his head.
“You become possessive when you love someone. I want everything he owns, and I want to be the only one he sees. Most importantly, I want the relationship to have no reservations,” Averie said. Then she smiled and continued, “You’ve seen it yourself. He has Shea, and he’s willing to sell himself out for her treatment.”
“Before I knew about Shea’s mental disability, I saw her as a thorn in my side. After I discovered she wasn’t normal, the hostility I felt against her slowly began to fade away. Of course, I can carry out Shea’s second surgery, but I won’t do that.”
Wesley stared blankly at Averie.
“How do you think Elyette would react if he found out I could treat Shea?” Averie asked. She poured herself a glass of wine and continued, “How has he been treating Zoe? He’s so grateful to her that he’s willing to grant her every request… Wesley, I don’t want him thanking me for the sake of another woman.”
Averie let out a bitter laugh, then said, “I don’t care for that at all!”
Wesley took the bottle of wine away from Averie, then said, “I get it, Averie. If he can’t give you a perfect love, then you’d rather take nothing from him at all.” “That’s not all. Not only is he unable to reciprocate my love, but he is also incapable of being a father to my children!”
Averie had only had one glass of wine, but her face had turned scarlet, and the tone of her voice was filled with hurt and loathing.
“He didn’t want our children! Why is he allowing Zoe to keep her baby? Why isn’t he forcing her to get an abortion? Huh?!”
Wesley poured Averie a glass of juice, then said, “Don’t get upset, Averie.”
“Don’t be mad, Mommy!” Layla pulled on Averie’s arm. “Hayden and I don’t need Dirtbag Dad! All we need is Mommy.”
Averie caressed her daughter’s head, then said with smiling eyes, “I’m not mad. I’m just thinking out loud to wake myself up.”
When Wesley asked if she wanted to tell Elyette the truth, Shea’s innocent eyes instantly popped into Averie’s mind.
She had felt her heart soften.
She had said everything out loud for Wesley to hear, but it was also for herself.
The worst thing that could happen from Zoe operating on Shea was that there would be no progress.
This was acceptable.
However, if Elyette ever found out that the person who operated on Shea was Averie, he would definitely end up being entangled with her again!
As if having Shea around was not bad enough, now there would be a pregnant Zoe to give Averie an even bigger headache!
How could she possibly tell Elyette the truth?
It was Monday at Starry River Kindergarten.
The school was located near the Starry River Villa.
Averie would send her children to school every morning.
If she could not make it back in time in the evenings, Hayden would take Layla home first.
The children were paying attention to the teacher’s lesson when a figure suddenly appeared at the classroom door.
Layla immediately recognized the person!
“Hayden! Shea’s here!” Layla cried out, then walked over to the classroom door with Hayden.
A wave of gloom washed over Shea’s face when she saw them.
“I have to go into surgery tomorrow. I’m scared,” she muttered softly in a voice filled with anxiety.
“Is Dr. Sanford going to operate on you?” Layle asked.
Shea nodded.
“Don’t let her touch your brain, Shea. You’re not that smart to begin with. What if she makes you even dumber?!” Layla said. “You should hide like you did last time. Don’t let anyone find you! That way, they can’t force you to get surgery!” Hayden glanced at his sister intently and said, “Stop meddling!”
“Didn’t we agree to stop being upset with Shea?” Layla asked dejectedly.
Hayden took his sister’s hand and walked back into the classroom.
Shea’s surgery was going to happen no matter what.
Coming to see them in her nervousness and fear would not change a thing.
She should have gone to see Elyette Foster and seek his comfort.
Elyette received a call from Mrs. Scarlet at three in the afternoon.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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